[Public Papers of the Presidents of the United States: William J. Clinton (1997, Book II)]
[October 16, 1997]
[Pages 1388-1389]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office www.gpo.gov]


[[Page 1388]]


Remarks at the State Dinner Hosted by President Carlos Menem of 
Argentina in Buenos Aires
October 16, 1997

    Mr. President, Zulema, to the members of Congress and the Supreme 
Court, Mr. Mayor and governors, former President Alfonsin, members of 
the diplomatic corps, distinguished guests. Mr. President, thank you for 
your fine statement, your warm welcome, and the extraordinary 
hospitality that Hillary and I and our entire delegation of Cabinet, 
administration, and congressional members have received from the people 
of Buenos Aires and Argentina.
    Mr. President, as you know, like you, I come from a small rural 
State, where some people still value their horse more than their 
automobile. [Laughter] And with this remarkable feast, you have reminded 
us with barbecue that we are truly at home.
    Exactly 150 years ago, in the autumn of 1847, a young man from 
Argentina visited the United States and was profoundly affected by the 
experience. He thought that we Americans ate our meals too quickly--
[laughter]--that our young people had strange courtship habits, and that 
the White House was not big enough for the President. [Laughter] Still, 
he was impressed by a nation in which individuals were valued for their 
capacity and their work, where education was prized as the great 
equalizing force of democracy, where a multitude of people of different 
backgrounds and languages came together, in his words, ``as if they were 
one family, joining one another, mixing with each other, parts of old 
societies forming the new, most daring republic in the world.'' Mr. 
President, that young man was Domingo Faustino Sarmiento.
    Today, 150 years later, America looks across the great expanse of 
our hemisphere at Argentina and we are inspired by Argentina today as 
Sarmiento was by America then. We see a nation shaped, like us, by waves 
of immigrants from the Old World and the experience of frontier life in 
the New World. Here, where so many languages are spoken, from Basque to 
Ukrainian, from Arabic to Welsh, we see a nation drawing strength from 
its remarkable diversity. Today, we see an Argentina grounded in 
democracy, committed to economic reforms that have put it on the road to 
more widespread prosperity and to educating its people for the demands 
of the new economy.
    I speak for all Americans when I say how very pleased I am that in 
the last decade our nations have built a strong, new relationship, 
driven by shared values, based on partnership and respect. Argentina and 
America have joined together in common cause. We pledge to create a 
free-trade area of the Americas by 2005; to bring new prosperity to all 
people of our hemisphere; to turn the revolution in information 
technology to our children's advantage by opening a world of knowledge 
to all--all--our children. One hundred fifty years ago, education was 
Sarmiento's great passion. Today, it is central to our ability to prove 
that democracy works for all people and to the future we are trying to 
build together.
    We are also partners in helping those around the world who take 
risks for peace. I thank the people of Argentina for sending 
peacekeepers into troubled places all over the Earth and setting an 
example for all nations. The robust bonds of friendship between 
Argentina and the United States are rooted in our shared commitment to 
peace and freedom, to prosperity and security, to the integrity of the 
individual, the family, and the community. They are at the heart of all 
we dream for our future.
    President Menem, I salute you for the extraordinary leadership you 
have shown in helping our nations turn this corner in history. No one in 
our hemisphere has done more to seize the opportunities of this new era. 
Generations to come will remember this as a moment when our two nations 
served the deepest interests of our people. And tonight the United 
States is proud to work alongside Argentina, an Argentina that is 
fulfilling Domingo Sarmiento's greatest hopes.
    Ladies and gentlemen, let us raise a glass to the new partnership 
between our people for peace and prosperity, here and throughout the 
world.

Note: The President spoke at approximately 9:40 p.m. in the ballroom at 
the Rural Center. In his

[[Page 1389]]

remarks, he referred to President Menem's daughter, Zulema Maria Menem; 
Mayor Fernando de la Rua of Buenos Aires; and former President Raul 
Alfonsin of Argentina.